Cancer test could help save thousands of lives

A medico-legal specialist has welcomed new research that suggests a one-off screening test for bowel cancer could save thousands of lives.

Daniel Lee, a partner with Fentons Solicitors LLP, said the study published in medical journal The Lancet was a breakthrough in diagnosing and treating the disease.

Most bowel cancers stem from polyps or symptomless growths in the rectum and colon, and the current screening method is to look for traces of blood from the bowel.

But the new test involved patients undergoing a sigmoidoscopy - a procedure where a camera mounted on a thin, flexible tube was inserted around a third of the way into the bowel.

"The research gave highly encouraging results," said Daniel. "Where a polyp or growth was found, it was removed safely and painlessly, cutting the death rate by 43% for the men and women aged between 55 and 64 who took part in the study."

He said the development of the disease was down by a third among almost 175,000 men and women tested.

"As clinical negligence specialists, we hear all too often about late or missed diagnoses of serious diseases such as cancer," said Daniel. "This new process should help to identify and successfully treat bowel cancer much earlier."

Bowel cancer is the UK's third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second biggest cancer killer after lung cancer. Around 16,000 people die from the disease each year.

The findings for the study for the Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research and Cancer Research UK are published online in The Lancet journal.

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If you think that you have a case or require further information, contact Fentons on 0800 019 1297 or fill in the online claims questionnaire.